On this day, 13 February 1633, Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome to face charges before the inquisition, for advocating that the earth revolves around the sun. He agreed to plead guilty and was put on house arrest. He spent the rest of his days in his villa in Italy before he died in 1642.

Galileo Galilei was an Italian philosopher, astronomer and mathematician. Galileo was a professor at Pisa and during this time he demonstrated that the speed of a falling object is not proportional to its weight. He conducted this experiment by dropping objects off the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He went on to develop a telescope that enabled him to observe lunar craters, satellites of Jupiter and he also went on to discover that Milky way was made up of stars. He increasingly became interested in Nicholaus Copernicus’s theory. However, this theory conflicted directly with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church that held all the power in Italy.

Galileo was deeply interested in Physics and went on to study speed, velocity, gravity and free fall. He also invented the thermoscope and various military compasses. His work inspired and influence revered scientists and physicists, including Isaac Newton. His contribution to science is an important one, and it continues to be remembered today.